Su Mingqiang's tears flowed silently.
"I'm sorry... and... I love you."
Chen Mo nodded.
“Next time you come, we can try a treatment called the ‘empty chair technique.’ You can talk to an empty chair and pretend that Li Jinhua is sitting there.”
Su Mingqiang hesitated.
"Will this... work?"
"uncertain."
Chen Mo said honestly.
"But it's better than keeping it all bottled up inside forever."
And so, Su Mingqiang began his arduous psychological treatment.
Progress was frustratingly slow; sometimes he would only say less than ten words during a single consultation.
But Chen Mo patiently stayed by his side, sharing her own experiences and gradually melting the ice in his heart.
...
at the same time.
The vegetable base in Sujiatun has ushered in an unprecedented harvest season.
Since Zhang Erhe's downfall, the land ownership dispute has been completely resolved, and military orders have been restarted.
Su Jianguo led the villagers to work day and night, and the cucumbers and tomatoes in the greenhouse were growing well, with heavy fruits hanging under the lush green leaves.
On this day, a red stage was set up in front of the Sujiatun Village Committee, with colorful flags fluttering and drums beating loudly.
The villagers were dressed in their festive best, their faces beaming with joy.
A striking banner hung in the center of the stage.
"The first profit distribution meeting of Sujiatun Vegetable Cooperative".
Standing on the stage, Su Jianguo looked at the sea of people below and was filled with emotion.
He cleared his throat and picked up the microphone.
"Fellow villagers, today is the first dividend distribution since our cooperative was established!"
A burst of enthusiastic applause and cheers erupted from the audience. Su Jianguo smiled and continued speaking.
"Thanks to the collective efforts of all members, our net profit for the first half of the year reached 800,000 yuan! In accordance with the company's articles of association, today we will distribute 25% of our profits, or 200,000 yuan, as dividends to everyone!"
The moment this number was announced, the scene erupted in chaos.
200,000 yuan was a huge sum of money in the 1980s, equivalent to 200 years' wages for an ordinary worker!
Many elderly people were moved to tears; they had never seen so much money in their lives.
The accountant began reading out the villagers' names and dividend amounts one by one, according to their shareholding ratio and labor contribution.
When he heard "Wang Tiezhu, dividend of 1200 yuan", this honest farmer almost fainted.
He took the thick wad of banknotes with trembling hands and stammered.
"This...this is more than I've earned in the past ten years!"
Li Ergou's family received 1,800 yuan, and his wife burst into tears on the spot.
"Honey, we finally have the money to send our child to school in the county town!"
Those around him nodded in agreement; this money was of great significance in improving the villagers' lives.
The most eye-catching family was the old Party Secretary's family, because they had the most land shares and received 2,800 yuan in one go.
The old Party Secretary, leaning on his cane, went up on stage, tears streaming down his face.
"Jianguo, my son used to cause you so much trouble; I was so senile! You led us all onto the road to prosperity; you're a benefactor to our entire village!"
Su Jianguo quickly helped the old man up.
"Old Party Secretary, you flatter me. This is the result of everyone's hard work."
He turned to all the villagers.
"Today's success is just the beginning. In the second half of the year, we will expand our scale, add new varieties, and strive to double our year-end dividends!"
After the dividend distribution ceremony, the villagers spontaneously organized a celebration.
The women took out the prepared ingredients and set up a long table banquet in front of the village committee.
The young men brought out their homemade rice wine and drank heartily.
Children flitted and played among the crowd, and the whole village was immersed in a sea of joy.
Su Jianjun, his face flushed from drinking, held his brother's hand and said...
"Brother, we really did it! Did you see that? Old Zhao was secretly wiping away tears just now. He definitely regrets sabotaging us back then!"
Su Jianguo smiled and nodded, his gaze sweeping over the celebrating crowd before finally settling on a quiet figure in the corner: Su Mingqiang.
The eldest son, who had been taciturn since his release from prison, showed a rare smile today as he helped the villagers tidy up the tables and chairs.
How is Mingqiang doing lately?
Su Jianguo asked his younger brother in a low voice.
"Much better."
Su Jianjun answered.
"Dr. Chen's 'empty chair' therapy really works. The day before yesterday, I heard him talking to himself in his room, it sounded like he was talking to Li Jinhua..."
Just then, Su Mingqiang walked over, carrying a bowl of hot soup.
"Dad, Second Uncle, have some hangover soup."
His voice was still somewhat low, but it was much more lively than before.
Su Jianguo took the bowl and looked at his son with satisfaction.
"Don't bother with your work, go and join the villagers for some fun."
"Um."
Su Mingqiang hesitated for a moment.
"Dad...I want to discuss something with you."
"What's up?"
"I...I want to study agricultural technology."
Su Mingqiang mustered his courage and said.
"Dr. Chen said that finding something meaningful to do would help my recovery. Isn't our center going to expand? I want to help."
Su Jianguo's eyes lit up, and he patted his son's shoulder hard.
"Great! That's wonderful! I'll send you to the Academy of Agricultural Sciences for training tomorrow!"
That night, the lights in Sujiatun stayed on until very late.
Laughter and songs echoed across the fields, making even the stars in the sky seem brighter.
For this small village, this is not just a dividend, but a rebirth.
For the first time, the villagers truly felt that as long as they were united, good days were just around the corner.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
